Friday, June 17, 2016

Father's Day and Dove Soap--Defining A Good Man

The ad captures a montage of images defining a "good dad," showing high flying father-daughter, father-son moments, with messages imposed on the pictures that further define the good dad---like "The one who goes the extra mile," "The one who makes dreams come true," and "When you care you'll always be a hero to someone."

The ad features 2 dads kissing and rocking an infant to sleep.

Dove's marketing director explains the intent of the ad. It's about more than selling soap.

Some thoughts on how God defines a good man---a good dad.

Unilever, Dove's parent company, released an ad last year at Father's Day, which also included a homosexual couple, however, this year the company says their campaign shows how fathers have evolved.

The company says, "Superhero movies tend to portray an unrealistic notion of masculinity and strength."

Jennifer Bremner, director of marketing at Unilever, says, "As a brand, we've focused on the evolution of masculinity and are highlighting dad's caring sides."

"Definitions of heroism have traditionally been rooted in physical strength, but this Father's Day, Dove Men+Care will celebrate how heroes gain strength from moments of care, elevating them to hero status in the eyes of others," she says.

Breitbart News notes, "Dove's ad showing two dads was released just days after America's worst mass shooting in history was carried out at a gay nightclub."

Caring for others is a principle much older than Unilever and their Dove soap---it is at the heart of true Christianity. The Christian faith calls both male and female to be "caring," because God cares for us.

We call it godly compassion.

I would suspect the true intent of this soap ad is more about pushing the so-called evolution of gender roles, and even gender identity, (and selling some soap) than actual "caring" about the individual person.

It's an extension of what feminist Betty Friedan worked to do with the definition of a woman 40 years ago. Friedan later said in The Feminine Mystique update, "It's frightening when you're starting on a new road that no one has been on before. You don't know how far it's going to take you until you look back and realize how far, how very far you've gone."

In the past 40 years, Friedan's road has led women to historically low fertility rates, no-fault divorce and abortion on demand. And an emptiness that women are only now finding ways to describe and seek help.

Beverly LaHay has said it was Friedan and her "new road" that caused her--- LaHay, to found Concerned Women for America in the 1970s.

Dove soap's parent company says, "Heroes are measured by their capacity to care, not the size of their cape."

On this Father's Day weekend, let's look at what God says about men, caring and capes.

In the pre-Dove soap era, the prophet Ezekiel, speaking for God, wrote, "And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me in the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none" (22:30).

Scripture gives us God's prerequisites to being a good Father: Being a man, taking responsibility as a man, thinking as a man, acting like a man, working like a man---all are prerequisites to being a good father.

a. To love God (I Cor. 13: 1-3; I Cor. 16:22).
b. To love their wives (Eph. 5:25).
c. To love their families. A dominate theme through out Scripture.
d. To love the church as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25).

This is God's non-evolving definition of a good man and good father, and there are many of them among us.

Take a moment this week end to tell your father, and other fathers you love and appreciate them.